January 2025 - Rockin’ Roundup
🎸 January Rockin’ Roundup – A Brilliant Start to 2025! 🎸
The new year has kicked off in style at Music Evermore CIC, with our funded sessions in full swing across Manchester. From band rehearsals to school workshops, our young musicians have been busy learning, creating, and preparing for some fantastic performances. A huge thank you to all our funders who make these sessions possible—your support is changing lives! Here’s what we’ve been up to in January...
🎶 Wythenshawe Forum 🎶
Funded by: Manchester City Council’s Neighbourhood Investment Fund & The Wythenshawe Forum Library Creative Space
Our Monday and Tuesday band sessions have hit the ground running, with returning students bringing incredible energy and new faces settling in brilliantly.
Monday 4PM – With two new members in the group, the band has already learnt Come Together by The Beatles and Live Forever by Oasis in just two weeks!
Monday 5PM – A shuffle of instruments and fresh energy has resulted in an exciting new project—What I’ve Done by Linkin Park. The group is mastering the importance of listening to each other and following musical cues.
Tuesday 4PM – The band is hard at work on Blinding Lights by The Weeknd. Students are developing their technique, from power chords on guitar to kick drum patterns on drums.
Tuesday 5PM – A full house! The group has taken on Come On Eileen, refining chord changes, bass rhythms, and drumming in sync.
The talent in these sessions is incredible, and we can’t wait to showcase the progress at the next performance!
🎵 Peel Hall Academy 🎵
Funded by: Heist or Hit Records
Music is now embedded into the school’s curriculum, with students exploring the fundamentals of music through rhythm, dynamics, tempo, and instrumentation.
Years 1 & 2 – Learning the basics through clapping rhythms and well-known songs, preparing for a future performance.
Years 3 & 4 – Understanding instruments, rhythms, and time signatures, with We Will Rock You lined up as their first full-class performance.
Years 5 & 6 – More advanced work on music theory, instrument mechanics, and song arrangement. Year 6 is gearing up for their leavers’ performance, working on Sunflower by Post Malone and Livin’ on a Prayer by Bon Jovi.
On top of full-class workshops, we’ve launched 1-2-1 and small group sessions for students showing real passion for music. There’s still space for more pupils to get involved, and we’ll soon be launching a school rock band and choir!
It’s been a fantastic first month, and we’re so excited to see how these young musicians grow.
🎤 Claremont Primary 🎤
Funded by: Heist or Hit Records
This term, we’ve worked closely with school staff to set up three small groups of musicians, all focused on preparing for their first performances. The Year 3 and Year 5 groups have picked their songs and instruments, while the nurture group—a group of five SEN pupils—has been developing essential musical skills through listening and collaboration.
It’s early days, but there’s already a real buzz about music at Claremont, and we’re excited to see where this journey takes them!
🎸 Webster Primary 🎸
Funded by: Rising Tide AI
It’s been a powerful start to the year at Webster!
Years 2 & 4 Singing Assemblies – Both groups are working on Another Brick in the Wall by Pink Floyd for a collaborative half-term performance.
Year 5 Rock Band – Tackling Live Forever by Oasis, learning harmonies and layering chords across three keyboards.
1-2-1 Sessions – Several students are making incredible progress and are almost ready to take their first RSL Awards graded exam!
A huge well done to everyone—this term is shaping up to be something special!
🎶 St Mary’s Primary 🎶
Funded by: Rising Tide AI
The Year 5 class bands are levelling up!
One group is fine-tuning their vocal harmonies for Post Malone’s Sunflower
Another group is rocking Another One Bites the Dust by Queen—and they’ve even choreographed their own dance routine to go with it!
The enthusiasm and creativity from these students is infectious, and we can’t wait to see their next performance at Easter!
Dan says “Both groups have achieved a great deal over the past month making rapid progress with their new songs. Group 1 have learned Sunflower in its entirety and can play through the whole song competently. We are now introducing some further layers of sophistication such as passing notes on the bass line and chords for keyboard and guitars, to add greater depth to the performance and build on the student's skill set. Group 2 have been learning Another One Bites The Dust which contains a wider variety of different sections and consequently taking longer to work through, but the class is handling it remarkably well and with great enthusiasm. We've really been focusing on their timing as well as playing in unison to the beat, as the rhythm is a key factor to the success of the song. After school club has also had another successful month, achieving a performance ready version of Feeling Good by Nina Simone in only a few weeks! It sounds really polished and sonically rich with all members of the group complementing each other very nicely in their playing.”
🥁 Funded Band Sessions – Stretford 🥁
Funded by: Public Donations, Good Afternooners: Sale & Altrincham Women’s Institute & John Thomson’s Panto Fundraiser
Thanks to the generosity of the public, the Good Afternooners: Sale & Altrincham Women’s Institute and our amazing ambassador John Thomson, we’ve been able to offer FOUR more fully funded places in our Saturday band sessions!
These young musicians are already jamming together, learning songs, and getting performance-ready. Stay tuned for exciting announcements about their next gig!
🎶 A Huge Thank You! 🎶
None of this would be possible without the incredible support of our funders:
🎸 Manchester City Council – For funding our work at Wythenshawe Forum
🎤 Heist or Hit Records – For funding sessions at Peel Hall & Claremont Primary Schools
🎵 Rising Tide AI – For funding Webster & St Mary’s Primary Schools
🥁 Good Afternooners: Sale & Altrincham Women’s Institute, John Thomson, Public Donations – For funding Saturday band sessions in Stretford
Because of you, hundreds of children across Manchester are getting the chance to pick up an instrument, join a band, and discover the joy of music.
Here’s to another fantastic month ahead—bring on February! 🎶✨
#MusicEvermore #RockinRoundup #FundedMusic #ChangingLivesThroughMusic
